Author Archives: H.H. Bhaktimarg Swami

Toronto, Ontario SHOOT FOR THE STARS  ©Bhaktimarga SwamiShoot for the starsGo beyond MarsBow and bend lowHumble we goAttentive to detailThen you won’t failBe that optimistNot that ‘I’m pissed’Do not procrastinateFor virtue can’t waitFor all, hav…

Toronto, Ontario Walking and SeeingMy walking ventures are nothing compared to those of our guru, Prabhupada.  When I walk, I gawk.  I find things of interest and I like to link what I see, whether it be trees, buildings and people, and rel…

Toronto / Brampton The Two Places Are OneSome people dress and act rather kooky.  At least that’s the way it is at Kensington Market.  Personally I rather like the liberal nature of the place where today Karuna, Michelle and I rolled out ou…

Toronto, Ontario Arc of BeautyI turned to the sky and pointed in that direction, to the east, encouraging the couple who were arm in arm to: “Look behind you and above!”They were startled like I was.  Most of us have seen rainbows before but thi…

Moundsville, West Virginia Points We CoveredFor the final day of the second annual MANtra Retreat, we discussed varying topics, such as the place for men in the categories below.1)      Affection2)    &nbs…

Moundsville, West Virginia Pursuing Ultimate MalenessI cannot boast to have put my walking feet to work today.  Dancing—yes!  Regardless, I am somewhat attached, as any walker would be, to my footwear.  When I saw my sneakers missing f…

Moundsville, West Virginia Real PilgrimageIt was like a real pilgrimage—people moving together, on foot, with a spiritual purpose.  From the main temple in New Vrndavana, where the men’s retreat was held this week, we commenced the kirtan chanti…

New York State / Pennsylvania To The HillsOur small crew of actors and myself, left for the hills of West Virginia, but in order for me to get some footsteps in on a  day that would be destined with hours on freeways, I said to Billy, the driver…

Toronto, Ontario Isn’t It A PityThese body-builders were doing a serious workout at the corner of the park.  David, Michelle and I were nearby making kirtan rhythms which excited the guys.”Keep going guys,” was the message coming from them, aime…

Chatham, Ontario Pulling Out Self-PortraitAt 5:20 a.m., I opted to walk to Union Station from our ashram.  I was looking forward to the train trip that would land me in Chatham, my birth place.  It wound up being a three-and-a-half-hour rid…

Toronto, Ontario This Weekend—The EmbassyThis coming weekend, the second Vaisnava men’s retreat, called Man-tra Retreat, will be held in New Vrindavan, West Virginia.  I will be presenting a drama: “The Embassy” by playwright, Bhasa.  The d…

Hamilton/Owen Sound Wild GingerDaniel did the whole eight kilometre stretch barefoot. That was a very daring and bold step to take, in the opinion of the rest of us.  We were a dozen in number, trekking the Bruce Trail with its up and down terra…

Toronto, Ontario Shining DayThe sun was shining, both outside and inside—inside with devotional activities.  Good phone calls dominated the day, and so too did several correspondences, which included news from two rural projects that promote org…

Hamilton, Ontario One HourTo get to Hamilton from Toronto,  takes just a few minutes shy of one hour.   Pradhyumna was my driver, and our destination was St. Joseph’s Health Care/Hospital, where I was to meet Dr. Ikesaks, a specialist …

Toronto, Ontario Playing GodEach of my thighs continue to have knots that somewhat obstruct smooth movement during the walking process.“I have them as well,” said Balarama, a massage therapist who came over to massage my legs and feet.  “There i…

Toronto, Ontario At The SquareAt Bellevue Square Park in the Kensington area, we chanted.  Plopped on the grass near the newly-arrived piano, Pradhyumna led, then I, and then Karuna.  David played multiple shakers that he had brought, but n…

Montreal/Toronto A Birthday for a WalkerToday is the day for honouring an avatar by the name of Vamana.  It’s his birthday.  His devotional claim to fame was his powerful movement of walking mystically to span the universe in only two colos…

Montreal, Quebec Must Walk”Just meet me at the south-east corner of Atwater and Ste. Catherine’s, when you get there,” said Gokulananda over the phone.  I had been in one of those seventeen-seater vans operated by Ride Share.  John (a Siber…

Brampton, Ontario I Began a TrekI began a trek at 9:00 a.m., going toward the northwest from my starting point, the downtown ashram.  Fernando would pick me up at the 10:30 a.m. spot.  It simply meant I would call him to let him know what d…

Peterborough, Ontario Monk Marries Couple No walking today.  I spent time in travel to Peterborough by wheels, with driver, Ananda Gauranga, and co-passenger, Sushil.  Our mission to this really nice rustic place of 2.5 acres was to marry a…

Toronto, Ontario Let Quiet BeI really appreciated all the healthy green foliage on my walk today.  Actually I spent a good two hours trekking under a light rain the entire time.  When that happens, you can be assured that all the wild growt…

Wasaga, Ontario Water All AroundWasaga Beach claims to be the longest unguarded beach in the world.  No lifeguards.  Isn’t that something?  It was said that at one time, maybe still today (although the sign we read didn’t say that) it …

Toronto, Ontario Moments of LightnessThe first bright spot for me on this day happened as follows:One of our visitors from India, who happens to be just a gem of a devotee, attended the morning sadhana, and just as I was about to deliver the class/ta…

Toronto, Ontario Moments of LightnessThe first bright spot for me on this day happened as follows:One of our visitors from India, who happens to be just a gem of a devotee, attended the morning sadhana, and just as I was about to deliver the class/ta…

Toronto, Ontario Moving As A MonkI’m back at the spot in Kensington Market for chanting on the grass.  With me are David, Nicholas and Nimai, a young chap from Mexico.  We are not a professional bunch of musicians, but we follow a simple be…

Toronto, Ontario On the Train and the RoadThe passenger next to me on the VIA train was a sweet elderly lady from Dorval, Quebec, and by her own arrangement this petite lady was enroute to Niagara-on-the-Lake, then a stay overnight in a hotel room to…

Montreal, Quebec A Stop in MontrealFrom Halifax, I flew to Montreal.  It’s a short flight.  Anyway, I was sad to leave our place there, but happy to be in another.Every year our Montreal community holds a ‘memories of our guru event’ on Lab…

Halifax, Nova Scotia The Slowest TeamI was told: “When you get out of the apartment building you’re on Washmill Lake Drive.  Go right, then left on Main Street.”  I’m often impatient about waiting to go anywhere, so I decided to get a heads…

Lunenburg / Bridgewater, Nova Scotia Ideal FamilySusan is an art curator living in the Lunenburg area, known for its quaint fishing village, a popular tourist attraction.  Before she moved into the field of art, when young, she spent one year in…

Moncton, New BrunswickChatsA fourteen year old asked her dad, “Who are those guys in beige from head to toe?”  And the dad answered the best he could.  “It looks like they’re going through some Shakespearean script.  Inten…

Fredericton, New BrunswickBridges of ConsciousnessI believe most walkers love walking over bridges, especially if there’s a wooden flooring which has a little bit of a spring to it.  Once a railway bridge, the Bill Thorpe Bridge crosses over …

Sussex, New BrunswickBack In TimeI had proposed to my three companion monks that we visit King’s Landing, one of those historic pioneer villages where you step back in time, and see how folks of a European extract lived in the New World.  It …

Fredericton, New BrunswickFreshTo me it was just a perfect morning around ten degrees Celsius.  No jacket required or chaudar (the Indian version), but for Samuel, who is slender, Marshall, too, and come to think of it, Nicholas, as…

Moncton / Fredericton / Saint JohnAll OverCovering a two day blitz of bhakti was a fun type of back-and-forth shuttle between three cities. And below are the highlights.First, our small troupe of monks drove to a region outside of Moncton (pe…

Moncton, New BrunswickOffering to Guru (Prabhupada)It was evening ārati time,Which began at a clock’s precise chimeAnd from that gorgeous shrineWas projected—softly—your voice divine.From the modest speaker box it came,A sound that only purity can clai…

Saint John, New BrunswickDay of Fast, We Did LastOur drive to New Brunswick, a very scenic experience, allowed for a feast for the eyes. To some degree the word ‘feast’ became significant to Samuel, Marshall, Nicholas and myself.  At the…

Montreal, Quebec“Let’s Get Sattvic!”A six hour bus ride on Megabus brought Nicolas and I (and seventy-nine other passengers) to downtown Montreal.  I mentioned to him that we could relax and let the bus empty out before we exit. “We don’…

Toronto, OntarioAfter…After a four and a half hour flight from Vancouver, I landed back home.  Before my next trip via bus to Montreal tomorrow I had a space in the evening to stroll.  Jaya had rounds to do—meaning his prescribed …

White Rock, British ColumbiaPark and BeachWhen I became a monk in April of ’73 in Toronto, I met Jagadish.  He was in charge of the ashram, and was like a big brother.  I was 20. He was 26.  Well, he’s still arou…

Burnaby, British ColumbiaLook At the GoodI took a trek (a mild one) through the Riverside Neighbourhood with Prem. Harvest time is truly showing itself in this section of town.  There’s that rich black soil bearing lots of veggies and fr…